Before I Met You
by genieofthelamp
Summary: A The Vampire Diaries reboot with a slightly revamped cast and storyline, with Klaroline as the main couple. There is a better summary inside, so I hope you enjoy this retelling, and r&r with constructive criticism is always enjoyed!
1. She Looked at Me From Across the Room

**A/N: **Ok, so, I've been having this idea nagging at me for a while, and I wanted to get it down on paper! This is basically a reboot of TVD with Caroline as the central character and Klaroline the central romance plotline. I'll be changing a lot of stuff from the show, and there'll be a few elements from the books (like Meredith, and to help with visualization I think of school-age Meredith as Troian Bellisario) but mostly I'm gonna be figuring this out as I go along (like what I'm gonna do about the hybrid plotline if I keep it, etc). So yeah, basically I just wanted to try my hand at a reboot/makeover, and I will do my best to keep true to their characters as much as possible! R&R is always much appreciated, but _please_ don't bother with blind hatred. I will respond much more positively to constructive criticism than 'you suck gtfo'.

That said, here's the first chapter, and I hope you enjoy!

**She Looked at Me From Across the Room**

The shrill sound of an alarm clock blared through the blankets Caroline had pulled down over her head. Trying to ignore the alarm was useless, no matter how she tried to plug her ears—which was really the point, so at least the alarm was doing its job. With a groan Caroline sat up, tossing off her blankets and reaching across to her nightstand to slap the alarm, cutting off the shrill tone. She glanced at the clock—it was seven-thirty. She had half an hour to get dressed, eat, brush her teeth and get to school. "Plus side to Mom never being home," the blond grumbled, standing and combing her fingers through her tousled hair. "She never gets the messages the school leaves when I'm late."

As she expected, when she made her way down to the dining room there was a note on the table next to a box of cereal. "Gonna be a busy day at the station, I'll be late so don't wait up, blah blah blah," Caroline muttered, grabbing the note and tossing it into the trashcan. For a small town like Mystic Falls, her mother sure was kept busy at the police station. "Wonder if it has to do with those animal attacks that keep getting reported?" she mused aloud as she poured a bowl of cereal. Talking to herself beat the silence that permeated the house every day, even when her mother _was_ home. It seemed like ever since her dad had left for some _guy_ things were tense and uncomfortable and they had nothing in common any more.

At least that little tidbit of information hadn't made it to the grapevine, though. Caroline wasn't sure she'd be able to handle the gossip if it was about her life. There were definite upsides to being the Queen Bee of the school, and damage control was one of them.

It was seven forty-five when Caroline pulled on her favorite denim jacket to complete today's ensemble, ran a brush through her hair (one of the benefits of having easily manageable hair was that she didn't have to spend an hour styling it every morning) and grabbed her car keys and book bag. She'd finally gotten her driver's license the week before, after half a year of proving she could drive with an adult in the car and not get into a wreck, so she didn't have to take the bus any more. And even though she was fairly certain it had been a pity present along the lines of 'I'm sorry we never talk, here, have a car!' she wasn't going to turn her nose up at the Nissan now parked in the drive.

She had the whole ten minute drive to coach her expression into the proper 'I'm the queen and I know it' look. At least at school things went her way. She had an amazing boyfriend (the quarterback, of course; it only made sense since she was the captain of the cheer leading squad), she had all the friends (some more followers than anything, but really, what was the difference?) a person could need, the teachers liked her, the principle liked her. So what if her home life wasn't as stellar as she let everyone believe? School was where she went to get away from the emptiness, after all.

As soon as she got out of her car, there was the usual gaggle waiting for her, but as usual after saying her hellos she looked over their heads for the only people who were actually her friends, as far as she knew. She spotted Meredith and Bonnie across the parking lot; two of her best friends since preschool. She could remember the day they'd met like it was yesterday. The playground bully had broken the princess crown Caroline had gotten from her father for her birthday that morning, and she had started crying. Then Meredith, who'd seen the incident, had walked over to him and hit him in the face. (Of course, as they were four years old at the time, she didn't do much damage.) Meanwhile Bonnie and Elena had come from two separate sides of the playground and hugged her at the same time, even though they'd never played together before. They'd been inseparable ever since.

Things were so simple back then, Caroline thought now as she realized Elena wasn't with them. Everyone had heard what had happened over the summer at Wickery Bridge—Grayson and Miranda Gilbert had died, Elena had survived. Jeremy, Elena's younger brother, hadn't been in the car with them, thank God. Caroline couldn't imagine what it must've been like to lose both her parents in one night, but she couldn't imagine how Elena would have survived if Jeremy had died too. Elena and Jeremy had been sent to their aunt's, and everyone had been saying that they'd be back in time to start school, but it didn't look like either of them were here.

"Meredith, Bonnie!" Caroline called, waving to them as she made her way across the parking lot. The girls both looked her way, smiling. Bonnie drew her into a hug first—Meredith had never been the 'hug out your feelings' type, but Caroline pulled her into a hug next and even got a squeeze back. "How was your trip to Paris, Mer? And your Grams', Bonnie?" she asked; as usual, she'd been left mostly alone for the summer. Meredith always had some sort of trip planned, and Bonnie had been spending summers with her Grams for the past eight years. Elena and her parents usually went camping but, well… this year she was away for a different reason, obviously.

"It was great, actually. The architecture is simply marvelous, especially in Notre Dame. It took over two hundred years to build, and yet it looks like it all went together seamlessly. And-"

"What about you Bonnie?" Caroline asked, quickly cutting Meredith off; it wasn't to be rude, but because Mer was getting that far off look in her eye like she was about to go off on some long tangent about her current passion which no one else would understand.

"Oh, Grams was teaching me about palministry this time. You know, telling the future from your hands?" It was no secret that Bonnie's Grams was a little… odd, but every time Bonnie got back from visits to her she was excited to try out some new 'mystical' thing she'd learned, with sometimes eery results.

Before she could offer to read their palms, though, a voice sounded behind them. "Hey guys."

The three of them turned at the same moment when they heard the familiar voice. "Elena!" Caroline exclaimed, as the three of them took turns pulling her into a hug.

"Are you ok, Elena? How's Jeremy?" Bonnie asked, concern evident in her voice.

"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine. We're fine," was the reply, but Caroline didn't buy it. She knew that tone, it was the same one she used, with the same fake smile, when pretending her life was perfect.

But she also knew it was the tone she used when she didn't want to talk about it.

Before Meredith, who had all the tact of a bowling ball dropped from the top of a hundred story building, could ask the questions everyone else was thinking but didn't want to say, a sleek, black Porsche purred into the parking lot.

In front of a small town school like Mystic Falls High, the car stuck out like a sore thumb. Within five minutes it would be buzzing all over school, and already people were wondering about the new arrival.

"Who _is _that?" Bonnie breathed; Caroline was momentarily speechless, and Meredith and Elena had just turned to look.

"And who would waste a car like that on a teenager?" Meredith asked, eyebrows raised; she was obviously impressed, which wasn't an easy feat.

"Forget the car, check _him_ out!" Bonnie muttered, though she needn't have bothered; their eyes were all glued to the now-open door of the Porsche and the guy who was climbing out of it.

"He is _gorgeous_." Caroline was usually pretty good about not ogling guys who weren't her boyfriend, but no one could blame her for it this time. Even though he had Ray-Bans covering practically half of his face, it was easy to tell that he was incredibly good-looking—and tall, but not _too_ tall. From where she was standing, Caroline could see as the boy—young man, really; he looked like one of those guys who could pass for twenty-six even though he was probably only seventeen—started to smile as though someone had just told a joke, and his dimples were killer.

"Where can I get one?" Elena asked, and the spell the new student's arrival had cast over them was broken; it was a relief to hear something _normal_ from her best friend, since none of them really knew how to talk to someone who'd lost both her parents so recently. The four of them laughed and made their way towards the school building as the first bell rang.

Caroline didn't see him again until she was at her locker, which happened to be just outside the office. She couldn't help but stall a little, slowly stowing her books except for the one she needed for first period. He seemed to have taken off his sunglasses and was having an intense conversation with the office secretary. Then she nodded and he straightened; Caroline drew in a breath as he started turning, wondering what his eyes looked like.

She was watching him so intently that she was startled into shrieking when she felt an arm snake around her waist, pulling her into an embrace. It took her a moment to overcome the 'fight or flight' response, programmed into her by having a cop for a mother, to being suddenly accosted by an unknown male. "Tyler!" she gasped, finally seeing his face. Then he started laughing, and she smacked his shoulder, glaring at him. "You should warn me next time, you scared the crap out of me!"

"Well gee, Caroline, maybe you should listen when I call your name next time," he said, his voice teasing. When Caroline's glare deepened, he relented. "I'm sorry," he said, leaning in to kiss her. "Better?"

She couldn't help it; she smiled. "Yeah," she said, before kissing him back. The two-minute bell rang before they could get into a full-on make out session, though, and Caroline pulled back, surreptitiously glancing around the hall. The new student was nowhere to be seen, and she was surprised at how disappointed that made her. "I have history first period. You?" she asked, moving her concentration back to Tyler. Her _boyfriend_. _You shouldn't be making googly eyes at other guys, Care, jeez._

Tyler shook his head. "Math."

"Well, I gotta go or I'm gonna be late." She leaned forward for another quick kiss, before pulling back and heading down the hall. "See you at lunch!"

Meredith and Elena had the same first period history class, and they had saved her a seat in front of them, which she slipped into just as the final bell rang.

"Cutting it close, huh Care?"

"Oh, you know me, Mer. I live life on the edge."

"Alright, cut the chatter everyone, you heard the bell right?" There was a collective groan as Mr. Tanner started talking. He had a reputation for being a dick. "That means this is my time, not yours. Now, we have a new student joining us today, hailing from… England, was it?"

"Bristol, yes."

Caroline's eyes widened as she turned to face the front and her eyes landed on the guy with the Porsche standing in front of the class. She hadn't expected to see him in her classes—she'd figured he was a senior. But here he was standing in the front of the class, and though he'd only said one word she could tell his accent was totally to die for. He met her eyes suddenly, and a cheeky grin played about his mouth as though he was waiting for her to be the first to look away. Caroline's eyes narrowed to a challenging glare and she stared right back, even though she knew she was blushing furiously.

"Right, well, give us your name, Mr…"

"Mikaelson," he filled in. "Niklaus Mikaelson. But please, call me Klaus, everyone else does."

He was looking at her again, and Caroline's eyes narrowed even further; to an onlooker it had to have seemed like she was trying to set him on fire with her stare or something. _I'm not looking away first, you d-_

"Right, well, Mr Mikaelson, the seat next to Miss Forbes is free."

Klaus was still looking at her, and she could swear the corner of his mouth twitched upward. "I hate him," she whispered fiercely, turning her head just enough so that her friends could hear her.

"What? Care, you don't even know him," Elena said, but Caroline stubbornly shook her head.

"Did you see the way he was looking at me just now? He's a total d-"

"You're Miss Forbes?"

Caroline inhaled sharply—during her ranting, Klaus had managed to get right next to her desk without her realizing. "Caroline. Yes," she said coldly, turning back to face the front and crossing her arms. She _knew_ that it was irrational to be so certain she hated him after knowing him for all of five seconds, but she didn't care. Sometimes you just got a gut feeling that you hated someone, and it was hard for someone as stubborn as Caroline to overcome that.

"I'm Klaus," he continued, as though completely oblivious to the mental daggers Caroline was sending his way. He sat down in the desk next to hers and extended a hand. "Pleased to meet you."

"Yeah, it's a real pleasure," Caroline told him through gritted teeth, keeping her arms crossed and very pointedly ignoring his outstretched hand. When she chanced a glance at him out of the corner of her eyes, he had an even more infuriating (if it were even possible) smirk on his face, and he didn't seem perturbed at all by the fact that she hadn't shook his hand as he settled back in his seat. If anything, he seemed _smug_ about the whole thing.

Caroline didn't like him. At all. And she was certain this year was going to be torture, especially if he was in any of her other classes.


	2. You Don't Know Me at All

**A/N: **Thanks for all the awesome feedback! I've already got some twists in mind for down the road that I hope will not disappoint. ;) Thanks so much for reading, reviews are _always_ appreciated, and the usual disclaimer that I don't own TVD etc etc etc.

**You Don't Know Me at All**

The rest of the morning passed mostly without incident, Caroline managing to look steadfastly to the front of class (though the few times she glanced sideways at Klaus he didn't seem to be paying any more attention to her, which for some reason was even more irritating) and he wasn't in her next two classes. He did show up in her chemistry class, though, which was right before lunch, which was one of the few classes she didn't share with Meredith, Bonnie or Elena—and Klaus clearly took advantage of the opportunity. All her thoughts of 'please do _not_ make him my lab partner' were in vain, and Caroline thought she saw that same smug smirk as he took the seat next to her at the lab table.

He was considerably harder to ignore when he was sitting that close to her, and she kept getting the feeling that he was looking at her even though he seemed to be paying attention to the teacher. It was while their teacher was passing out the semester's syllabus that he made another attempt at conversation.

"You know, if we're to be lab partners all year you're going to have to talk to me."

Caroline made the mistake of looking at him as he spoke; she looked away quickly, but not quickly enough to prevent a furious blush from creeping across her cheeks. "I don't know what you're talking about. I am talking to you."

"If that's what you Yanks call 'talking', we're a lot more different than I thought."

She could just _hear_ the smirk in his voice. "I'm obviously not like the girls you're used to having swoon over you, if that's what you mean."

This time he actually laughed. "That's awfully fast judgment for someone who doesn't know a thing about me. What if I'm gay?"

That got him Caroline's full attention and a significantly raised eyebrow. "Oh." She tried not to sound too disappointed, even though there was nothing to be disappointed _about_. "Well. Are you?"

"No. But you didn't know that until just now, did you?"

"What's your point?" Caroline asked, crossing her arms with a childish huff. What was it about him that brought out her inner belligerent five-year-old?

"My point, Caroline, is that you're incredibly hostile towards someone you've never met before."

"I know your type," she muttered, trying to sound like she had _some_ valid reason to dislike him as much as she did.

"Oh really?" He sounded amused. "What type is that, exactly?"

"The drop-dead gorgeous foreign type who likes to steal other people's girlfriends." At this point, she was just trying not to sound petulant.

"You think I'm gorgeous, then?"

If Caroline's face didn't already resemble a fire engine, it certainly did now. "I didn't say that! Just that… that… you _think_ you are, that's all."

"I see." He looked more smug than ever, if possible. "Well, since you already know my dastardly scheme you're well protected, aren't you? So what danger is there?"

"None," Caroline said grudgingly. "Not that there was any danger in the first place. But I'm warning you, Mikaelson, if you try anything-"

"Miss Forbes! Since you're so talkative this morning perhaps you'd like to teach the class?"

"No ma'am," she muttered, sitting back on her stool and glaring at Klaus. How someone could manage to look so smug and yet innocent at the same time was completely beyond her.

…..

The lunch bell was a welcome relief, and Caroline was one of the first out the door. She met the girls at the entrance to the cafeteria, and they walked to their normal table together. "That Mikaelson guy is in my chemistry class," Caroline said, beginning her ranting as soon as they sat down with their food.

"Really? Is he as bad as you thought?" Meredith asked, trying hard not to look like she thought the whole thing was funny.

"_Worse_. I don't know how he managed it but he's my lab partner and I don't know _how_ I'm going to get through having to sit next to him for two classes all year."

"And we've still got three to go, he could be in any of those."

"Thanks, Mer, that makes me feel _so_ much better."

"C'mon, Care, how bad could it be?" Bonnie asked. "I mean, even if he is a jerk at least you have an excuse to look at him!"

Caroline rolled her eyes. "I have a boyfriend, Bonnie."

"Ugh, as if we need reminding," Bonnie and Meredith said in unison.

"What's your guys problem with Tyler?" she demanded, as though this wasn't a conversation they'd had a hundred times before.

"Care, you know how he can be," Elena said gently, easily slipping back into her role as mediator as though nothing substantial had changed.

"C'mon, you guys, he's different now. He-"

"Caroline!" Caroline jumped a little in her seat when someone called her name; she turned and saw Tyler headed for their table, and missed the significant glance the other three gave each other.

"Hey," she said, smiling as he reached the table and leaned down to kiss her. "What's up?"

"Look, I've gotta cancel for tonight. Coach is making us stay late for practice 'cause the homecoming game's in two weeks. Probably not gonna have any free time for a while."

"Oh." Caroline tried not to look too crestfallen. She even managed her usual bright smile. "That's ok. It's a big game and kind of a big deal, I get it. Rain check?"

"Absolutely." Tyler looked almost relieved as he leaned down to kiss her again. "Gotta run, coach wanted to see us before class."

"Yeah. Bye." Meredith made a suspicious coughing noise, and Caroline shot a glare at her. "What? He's got football and he's the star quarterback, I knew that before we started dating!"

"I didn't say anything," she replied with an unconvincing shrug. "Hey, isn't that Mikaelson?"

The others turned to look and spotted the boy sitting alone a few tables down. Why he wasn't surrounded with girls trying to be his best friend and show him around the school (and probably half the town as well) Caroline had no idea. Every time anyone looked like she was approaching his table, he met her eyes and she changed her mind. "That's weird. He a leper or something?" Caroline wondered aloud.

"You should go sit with him, Care," Elena said, Bonnie and Meredith nodding at the suggestion.

"What? Why? I'm not the welcoming committee."

"At least invite him to sit with us," Bonnie suggested, a little too brightly.

"How would you feel if you were a new student in a totally new country and had no one to sit with?" Elena asked, with that air she'd perfected of not trying to guilt trip someone but managing to do so anyway.

Caroline sighed. "Fine. But he's not sitting next to me." Bonnie seemed perfectly willing to make room next to herself, though, so Caroline got up and made her way over to the table where Klaus was seated. He looked up and smiled when he saw her approaching, in such a disarming way that she was almost startled into smiling back before she regained control of her facial muscles.

"Just so you know, this wasn't my idea, but my friends think you should come sit with us."

That infuriating smirk was back, so Caroline had no trouble glaring. "And what do you think?"

But she wasn't falling for the bait this time. "If you don't want to fine, all I had to do was ask. Do you wanna sit with us or not?"

"Alright, since you so dearly wish for my company," Klaus said, grinning as he picked up his tray and walked past her, towards the empty seat next to Bonnie.

"What? That's not what I- ugh, I give up," Caroline muttered with a groan of frustration, following him.

"So, Niklaus," Meredith was asking when she got back to her seat at the table, "you're from England, right? What's it like there?"

"Please, call me Nik," he said first. "Everyone I like calls me Nik." Caroline ignored the fact that he looked straight at her when he said that. "As for England, it's considerably wetter. The rain is probably the only thing I don't miss about home."

"Why'd you move here?" Caroline asked. _And when are you moving back?_

"My father is handling some business of a… sensitive nature back home. I expect he didn't want to worry about me getting underfoot, so he sent me to the farthest property he owns."

"_That's_ where I heard your name before," Meredith spoke suddenly, snapping her fingers. "Mom said someone was finally coming to live in the Mikaelson manor at the edge of town. Are you here alone?"

Klaus was giving Meredith an odd look Caroline couldn't quite identify, but it looked like a mix between admiration and wariness. "Yes. Well, with the exception of a few servants. I don't think Father is quite ready to unleash me on the Americas unchaperoned."

"I wonder why," Caroline mumbled, though she didn't realize she'd said it out loud until Klaus looked at her, smirking.

"Surely you are not worried about my intentions, Caroline. I assure you they are completely honorable."

At this point Caroline was practically relieved to hear the bell signaling the end of lunch. If her cheeks reddened any further she might spontaneously combust. She was too busy making herself busy with collecting her bag and ignoring everyone else that she didn't notice the strange look that crossed Bonnie's face when Klaus' arm brushed hers as he stood up, almost as though someone had just dumped a bucket of ice water on her head.

Meredith was far more observant. "What's up?" she asked after Klaus had walked away (_Hopefully to a class I'm _not_ in_, Caroline thought).

Bonnie shook her head, fighting back a shudder. "I'm not sure, exactly. Just that…"

"What? Wait, what'd I miss?" Caroline asked, suddenly tuning into her friends' conversation.

"I just… I touched Nik's arm when he stood up, just barely, and I felt… cold. It was just… so weird." She shuddered again. "I've never felt that before when I've touched someone, even when I've been _trying_ to feel something."

"More of that witchy stuff?" Caroline asked, the skeptic in her scoffing at the idea.

"Hey, I know you don't believe in it, but you haven't seen some of the stuff Grams has shown me, and…"

"You got her started," Meredith muttered in her ear as they followed Bonnie, who was still extolling the virtues of the 'witchy stuff' her grandmother was teaching her.

None of them knew that their normal lives were about to be torn asunder irrevocably.

…

"Daniel, keep your eyes on the road!"

"C'mon, Beth, I know what I'm doin'."

Beth squealed with the car fishtailed a little as Daniel leaned over for another kiss. She pushed him back into his seat. "I'm serious, we're in a _forest_, do you really wanna run us into a tree?"

Daniel sighed, but he gripped the steering wheel tighter in his hands. "Fine. How much farther back to Mystic?"

Pulling out her penlight, Beth retrieved the map from the glove compartment. Normally they wouldn't need it, but they'd never taken this way back from the cabin before. Of course, the shortcut had been Daniel's bright idea. "Uhm, it should be… just up ahead actually, slow down or we'll miss it- _Daniel!_"

The scream was unnecessary, however, as Daniel saw the lone figure standing in the road at the same moment she did. He slammed on the brakes, and the car finally stopped mere inches from the figure. "What the _Hell_? What kind of idiot stands out there in the middle of the night?"

"I don't know… is he hurt? Maybe he's looking for help…"

"Alright, stay there Beth." Daniel looked through the windshield uneasily—why hadn't the guy moved? "I'll check it out." He opened the door, slowly approaching the figure—he could make out everything but the guy's face from the light cast by his headlights. "Hey, uh… hello? Sir? Are you alright?" There was no answer, and the figure didn't even move. "Sir?"

Quite suddenly, the figure wasn't even there anymore. "What the… Beth, did you see-" The words died on his lips as he looked at his car, which was completely empty. "Beth?"

A scream suddenly broke the silence. Daniel didn't realize it was his own until he felt pain exploding in his neck.


	3. Lessons to be Learned

**A/N:** I apologize for how long it took to get this chapter up, I've been bombarded with a lot of schoolwork recently so I didn't have much time to write. I love all the reviews I've gotten, some of the questions are spot on and others are a little far off the mark, but I don't want to give too much away up front! I will say that Klaus does have siblings, and they may show up in later chapters! ;) Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, I added in some excitement to get the ball rolling so I hope it works out! And I'm planning on getting the supernatural ball rolling soon, just trying to make sure the lead in ties together. 33 As always, reviews are absolutely adored, as is constructive criticism, and I always like seeing people make guesses as to what might happen in the future! The usual disclaimer, I don't own TVD, the characters, etc etc.

**Lessons to be Learned**

"It's just, Jeremy's going so off the rails, I know he's using even though he denies it, and the people he's hanging out with… I'm worried, but I feel like I can't _do_ anything. He shuts me out at every turn! I feel like a bad sister, am I a bad sister?"

"Of _course_ not, Elena. Jeremy's lucky to have a sister like you, he just doesn't know it yet," Caroline replied soothingly. Elena had called her an hour ago, frantic because Jeremy still hadn't come home and wouldn't answer his phone. Ordinarily Caroline would have gotten annoyed at having her ear talked off like that, but Elena had been there for her so many times over the years, and Caroline knew she just needed someone to listen. She knew what that felt like, too. "Look, I'm sure he'll come home soon, he always does, right? I think he's still in shock about… about what happened." Even normally tactless Caroline didn't want to trod so heavily on such a sensitive subject.

Elena sighed into the phone. "I guess you're right. I'm sorry for freaking out to you, you've probably got better things to do than listen to me worrying."

"Oh don't say that, Elena. You'd do the same for me and we both know it. What are friends for?"

She could hear the relief in her friend's tone. "Thanks, Care. I think I just heard the door open, I've gotta make sure it isn't the cops dropping him off again. Thanks for listening, again. I love you, Care, you know that right?"

"Of course. Love you too Elena. Good luck with Jeremy!" After hanging up, Caroline practically collapsed onto her bed. It had been a very long three weeks, what with warding off Klaus' constant flirting, her friends' remarks about said flirting, Tyler having no time for her anymore, plus all the family drama going around. She just wanted to get to sleep and hope that things looked better in the morning.

…...

It was towards the end of third period the next morning that Caroline realized she'd forgotten her chemistry book in her car. She didn't want to have to share Klaus' (and she was fairly sure he'd be all too happy to offer), so as soon as the bell rang she headed for the parking lot to retrieve it.

It was on her way back to the school building that she saw Jeremy (or at least, she was pretty sure it was Jeremy, even though she saw him at a distance) ducking around the side of the building and heading for the back. "That's weird," Caroline muttered. The bell would be ringing soon, and she was pretty sure the back of the school was where all the stoner kids hung out. It was probably going to make her late for class, but she knew Elena would want to hear about this.

Caroline wasn't [i]really[/i] good with stealth, but she managed not to make too much noise as she headed for the back of the school. She wasn't entirely sure what she was going to find, since she'd never had reason to go back there before, but she doubted it'd be more than a few kids smoking weed or whatever it was they did.

She heard raised voices, and what sounded like Jeremy yelling at someone. What was the fight about, she wondered—when she looked around the side of the building and saw who exactly was there, her jaw dropped open in shock. Jeremy was yelling something at Vicki Donovan, Matt's younger sister, but that wasn't the interesting thing. The interesting thing was _Tyler_, who stepped between Jeremy and Vicki and shoved Jer back, tell him to 'back off my girl, Gilbert'.

Her chemistry book and bag fell from limp fingers, as Caroline slowly processed what, exactly, she was seeing. Both Tyler and Jeremy heard the noise, and Tyler was instantly walking towards her, already spouting excuses. Caroline shook her head, reaching down to grab her things and fighting back tears. "Don't… just don't, Tyler, I don't want to hear it!" she shouted, before turning and heading back for the front door. She broke into a run as the bell rang—she didn't want detention on top of everything else right now.

When she reached her class—slipping into her chair just in time for the bell to ring—she slammed her book down on the table, hoping it would send the very clear message that she was _not_ in the mood to deal with Klaus or that eye thing he liked to do. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to get the memo.

"Are you alright, Caroline? You seem upset."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Someone give the guy a gold medal for observation," she muttered, refusing to look at him.

Klaus chuckled. "Was it something I said, love?"

"Look, it has nothing to do with you, I'm not your love, and I'm not in the mood. Ok?"

She spent the rest of the period in stony silence, ignoring Klaus' attempts at conversation (and very nearly spilling boiling water on him, for which she broke her silence long enough to apologize and have him offer to finish the experiment). She was still thinking about Tyler, and the sick, _angry_ feeling she'd gotten in the pit of her stomach when she'd seen him with Vicki, and heard him calling _Vicki_ his girl. And to think Tyler had made her feel like an idiot for getting jealous when she thought she'd seen him flirting with one of the other cheerleaders after practice! Mostly she just wanted to cry, but she didn't want to break down in the middle of science class, and she _definitely_ didn't want to in front of Klaus. And no, it _didn't_ have anything to do with how gross she looked with puffy red eyes.

When the bell rang, she couldn't get out of class fast enough. She was at her locker, fighting to shove her book in (and very close to a breakdown because _nothing_ was going right today) when someone grabbed the book from her hands and rested a steadying hand on her shoulder. "Easy, love. You look like you could use some help."

Later she would maintain that the only reason she let Klaus put her books in her locker without retort was because she was too busy taking deep breaths so she didn't tear his head off. "Thanks," she muttered grudgingly, shrugging off his hand. "I think I can take it from here."

"Are you sure?" he asked, finally managing to catch her eyes. It was exactly what Caroline had been avoiding, as now, she didn't want to look away. "I'm headed to the lunch room myself, I could walk you."

Before she could answer, a far less welcome voice sounded down the hall. "Hey, what're you doing with my girlfriend?"

"Oh my God, can't everyone just _leave me alone_?" Caroline asked, finding her voice again as Tyler approached. "I'm not your girlfriend anymore, Tyler, and I'm not yours either!" she added to Klaus, before turning and walking away. She didn't want to spend any longer looking at Tyler than she had to.

"Listen, Caroline-"

"I don't want to talk to you anymore, Tyler!" Caroline shot over her shoulder, refusing to turn around. "I saw you with Vicki, ok, so just leave me alone!"

"Come on, Care, that didn't _mean_ anything- stop walking away, damn it!"

Tyler grabbed Caroline's arm, spinning her around to face him. "Let go of me!" she yelled, shoving against him with her other arm until he grabbed that, too.

"Not until you stop and _listen_ to me," he practically growled; for the first time, Caroline saw something in his eyes that scared her.

"I believe she asked you to let her go," came Klaus' accented voice from behind Tyler. Caroline didn't want to admit it, but she was almost relieved to hear him.

Tyler let go of Caroline's arms, turning to look at the guy challenging him in his own school. Already a crowd was forming, anticipating a fight. "Who the fuck are you?" He didn't seem to recognize him as the same guy he'd seen at Caroline's locker.

"Niklaus Mikaelson. And who are you?"

Tyler laughed. "You're that new guy, right? Guess that explains it. I'm Tyler Lockwood, and I'm the guy who can make your life Hell if you don't mind your own business."

Klaus chuckled, not seeming at all intimidated. "Is that so, Lockwood?" he asked, a faint challenge in his tone.

"Yeah, it is. Now buzz off, this is between me and my girlfriend."

"_Ex_-girlfriend!" Caroline spoke up testily. She wanted to leave while Klaus had Tyler distracted, but she didn't want him to get beaten to a pulp over her. "Just shut up and go away, Tyler!"

Klaus laughed. "She doesn't seem to want you, mate."

Tyler looked furious, and Caroline took a step back; she didn't think he would actually hit her, but he was more angry than she'd ever seen him. "She doesn't know what she's talking about!"

"Tyler-" she said warningly, taking another step back as he threw a look her way that she definitely didn't like.

"Not so fast, mate," Klaus said, grabbing Tyler's shoulder.

Caroline winced, knowing what was coming next. "Tyler, don't!"

Too late.

Tyler's hands balled into fists, and he spun around, raising his right fist and aiming for Klaus' face.

Only Klaus' face wasn't there-he'd ducked incredibly quickly, and Tyler's momentum carried him into the row of lockers against the wall. He let out a strangled yell, sounding almost animalistic and even angrier than before, if that were possible.

The fight that followed could hardly be called that. Tyler kept swinging his fists, Klaus kept dodging them and letting Tyler run into the walls. Finally, Klaus slammed his fist into Tyler's stomach, and he dropped like a rock, sliding back into the circle of onlookers.

The crowd was silent for several seconds, surrounding Klaus and Caroline. Their shock was understandable; a lot of people had been beaten up by Tyler Lockwood, but no one had done the beating before.

"Caroline!" Elena and Bonnie pushed through the crowd to stand beside her.

"Oh my God, what happened?" Bonnie gasped, seeing Klaus kneeling next to Tyler whispering something, though none of them could hear what he was saying.

"I broke up with Tyler and he flipped out." Caroline still looked a little shaken. "Klaus told him to leave me alone, even though I didn't need your help," she added, directing that last at Klaus, who had just stood up.

"I apologize, Caroline." He didn't look sorry at all. "It looked like he was bothering you. I only wanted to help."

"Well, I can take care of myself, so don't bother playing the gentleman," Caroline snapped back. She turned then, glancing at Elena and Bonnie. "Let's go, guys. I'm kind of hungry."

"Are you ok, Care?" Elena asked, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder. Caroline really wished they could have just met someplace private. She'd sworn to herself that she wouldn't cry where everyone could see, but it was so hard when talking to her friends.

"No," she finally said, admitting the truth. Elena pulled her and Bonnie into a hug, and Caroline was grateful for the brief shield they made. She felt safe for the first time that day, as she told her friends what she'd seen earlier between Tyler and Vicki. Though she loved Meredith dearly, she was almost glad their fourth Musketeer wasn't here, because she just knew Mer would have some 'I told you so's ready. "Thanks guys," she said a minute later, pulling back and drying her eyes. "I needed that."

"You were a little harsh to Nik, don't you think?" Bonnie asked as they entered the cafeteria. "I mean, he was only trying to help."

Caroline sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I'm just... I'm still kind of shocked, you know? I mean I know Mer's gonna say she saw this coming, but _I_ didn't. And I'm not ready for some guy to try being my White Knight, you know?"

"So if it weren't for Tyler, you'd admit you like Nik?" Elena asked, grinning.

"I didn't _say_ that." But Caroline couldn't help but grin back; if she said she hadn't thought it, she'd have been lying.

...

Caroline was surprised to see her mom's police cruiser parked in front of her house. Normally her mom didn't get home until way after it was dark. "Mom?" she called as she opened the door. "Mom... why are there a bunch of stakes on the table?" she asked as she walked through the dining room. That was definitely going on the list of strange things she'd seen around the house lately.

"Oh, Caroline, you're home already?" her mom asked, looking a little flustered as she gathered up the stakes that were on the table.

"Yeah, school let out an hour ago... what are those even for?" she asked, lifting her eyebrows.

"Just... a little... project the Founder's Council is working on," Liz hedged. Caroline wasn't sure she bought it, but what else could something like that be used for, anyway? "Caroline, why aren't you wearing your bracelet?" Liz suddenly asked. Caroline glanced at her wrist; she didn't remember taking it off.

"I don't know... it must have fallen off or something, at school I guess. Why?"

"Uh, I... it's nothing, I'll just get you another one, ok?"

"Ok, I guess," Caroline replied, rolling her eyes. _Why are all the adults acting so weird lately_? she wondered. Switching on the television, she could almost see why as the first thing to come up was another news story about strange animal attacks, leaving bodies completely drained of blood. "Jeez, what do we have around here, a giant, killer mosquito?" The question was rhetorical and she was still watching the story, so she didn't see the look Liz gave her.

"I've got to run down to the town hall for a council meeting, will you be ok by yourself?"

"Yeah, mom, I know the rule, no inviting strangers in the house, blah blah blah." She only refrained from saying 'it's not like you're ever around anyway' through sheer force of will. As her mother locked the door behind her, yet another story of bodies found in the woods flashed across the screen. "What is _wrong_ with this town?"


End file.
